Spending bill to be approved by Congress reinstates anti-science policy

NEW YORK, December
16, 2011—amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, today voiced strong
criticism of a ban on the use of federal funds for syringe exchange programs
that will take effect if Congress passes the fiscal year 2012 spending bill as
expected. The omnibus spending bill reinstates
the ban on domestic programs funded through the Department of Health and Human Services,
as well as global health programs supported by the United States, despite
scientific consensus on the validity of these programs. The spending bill will allow Washington, D.C.,
to use its own funds for syringe exchange.

“Reinstatement of the
ban on federal funding for syringe exchange is an anti-science, anti-public
health action that undermines our country’s efforts to fight AIDS at home and
abroad,” said Chris Collins, amfAR’s vice president and director of public
policy. “We can begin to end the AIDS
epidemic, but that opportunity will be squandered if we turn away from what the
evidence tells us works to save lives and prevent infection.”

Eight federally funded
research studies have concluded that syringe exchange programs are a highly
cost-effective public health intervention that reduces HIV transmission without
increasing the use of illicit drugs.
These programs also help connect people to HIV and substance abuse
prevention and care services, and are critical in preventing the spread of
other blood-borne diseases such as Hepatitis C. In 2008, the CDC concluded that the
incidence of HIV among injection drug users (IDUs) had decreased by 80 percent
in the U.S. over a 20-year period in part due to syringe exchange programs.

“amfAR is committed to
working with other public health leaders next year to change this policy and
again allow the use of federal funds for this lifesaving program,” Collins
said. “Congress must recognize that
failure to base policy on the evidence wastes resources and compromises public
health in the United States and around the world.”